Trade in International Maritime Services : How Much Does Policy Matter?
Maritime transport costs significantly impede international trade. This article examines why these costs are so high in some countries and quantifies the importance of two explanations: restrictive trade policies and private anticompetitive practic...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2002/01/17737141/trade-international-maritime-services-much-policy-matter http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17191 |
| Summary: | Maritime transport costs significantly
impede international trade. This article examines why these
costs are so high in some countries and quantifies the
importance of two explanations: restrictive trade policies
and private anticompetitive practices. It finds that both
matter, but the latter have a greater impact. Trade
liberalization and the breakup of private carrier agreements
would lead to an average of one-third lower liner transport
prices and to cost savings of up to US dollar 3 billion on
goods carried to the United States alone. The policy
implications are clear: there is a need not only for further
liberalization of government policy but also for
strengthened international disciplines on restrictive
business practices. The authors propose an approach to
developing such disciplines in the current round of services
negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO). |
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